Wind instrument and key mounting for the same



Sept. 25, 1951 E. O. SYLVESTER WIND INSTRUMENT AND KEY MOUNTING FOR THESAME Filed April 11, 1949 2 SheetsSheet 1 EARL Q SYLI/ESTER A TTOR/VEYSept. 25, 1951 E. o. SYLVESTER WIND INSTRUMENT AND KEY MOUNTING FOR THESAME Filed April 11, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EARL a SYLVESTERATTORNEY Patented Sept. 25, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINDINSTRUMENT AND KEY MOUNTING FOR AME Earl 0. Sylvester, San Leandro,Calif. Application April 11, 1949, Serial No. $344 7 Claims (01. 84-385) This invention relates to wind instruments and particularly tofinger key mountings for the same.

The scattered overlapping and complicated mountings for finger keys onwind instruments, and particularly on saxophones and the like, detractsfrom the tone quality of the instrument, renders repairs very expensive,and adjustments almost impossible, necessitating the takingap'art of theentire instrument. Previous instruments required a tedious breaking-inpractice and period and were not quickly adaptable to the touch of theplayer. l

The above and other disadvantages are obviated by my invention thefeatures of which include the arranging of the fingenkeys into severalgroups, and mounting each group detachably independently of theothergroups of finger keys; the providing of easy adjustment of theresiliency of the movement of each key to any touch; the adjustablestopping of any released key in a predetermined spaced position withrespect to its tone hole; sectional removable key and controlarrangement with separable connections where key actions must overlapfrom one group to a key of another group; eliminating needle springs,stiff key pivots, and a great number of complicated mechanisms and partsused in the past, thereby achieving simplicity and a more brilliantsound and tonal quality.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements andcombinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the detailsof the construction thereof Without departing from the scope of thepresent invention as set forth in the following specification, and asdefined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention tothe exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts asdescribed in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to theexact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be mademanifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to theac companying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention,wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective side view of a saxophone having my key mountingsthereon.

Fig. 2 is a perspective side view of the saxophone from the sideopposite from said first side.

Fig. 3 is a side View of a key mounting assembly.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a group of finger keys on a mounting bracket.

Fig. 5 is a sectional side view of another form of key mountingassembly.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentai" plan view of said other rorm'ormountmgf' I Fig.7is a sectional detail view showing the adjust-able spring tension andstop abutment fora "Fig. 8 is a partly sectional detail View showing thedet'achable'fiiiingpf the bracket on'postoi Din.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of another group of key on my mounting device.

'Fig.'10'is"a side view of the group shown in Fig 9 a v i Fig. 11 is abottom planview of the same, and

Fig. 12 is'a view of inside face of the'bellof the saxophone and thekeys mounted thereon.

Fig; 13 is a fragmental sectional detail view of the octave holecontrol, and

Fig. 14' is a fragmental sectional view of the abutment and springconnection, taken on lines il l0fFig. 13.

In the illustrative embodiments herein, I show the applicationof myinvention to a saxophone, which'has a conical body or tube I whichisus'ually bent and flared to form a bell 2. In the oppositely bentmouth end 3 is the usual mouth piece 4/ The saxophone has thereonaplurality oftone holes 6 and corresponding keys 1 the disks 8 of whichlatter cover or uncover the respective tone holes 6 as desired. A stem 9connects each disk 8 to a journal member such as a hub 10.

A plurality of adjacent keys I are grouped together and have their hubsl0 journalled on' a pivot shaft [I in bracket ears [2, which latter haveholes 13 therethrough to accommodate said pivot shaft II. The key stemsSare extended in different directions to hold the'disksil in registry"with the respective "tone holes 6'. The bracket ears 12 extend from abracket'base M which in turn is detachably secured to the side of thesaxophone Intheeven't of need for'repair or adjustment or ieplaceinentsthe bracket base L4 is simply detached fr'om thesaxophone and the entiregroup of k eyscaii be'removedwithout disturbing any "other group of keysor parts of the saXophon'e.

The bracket base I 4 is a fiat strip and fits longitudinally on thesaxophone. The detachable securing is accomplished by providing on thesaxophone a pair of bracket pins l6 whichfit into spaced lioles'llthrough'the side's ofthe bracket base so that thebottom I8 is in planeat right angles to'thesaxophone 'side, and'parallel with the pins l5. Asetscrew ljiliexte'nds through the bottom [8 of the baseandinto'ea'chhole ll for clamping the pinifi in place and thus "securing the entire'as seinbly to thesa iop'hone. For detaching the assembly of a group ofkeys and the bracket, the set screws l9 ar loosened and the bracket ispulled off the pins 16, lifting the group of keys with it.

Inasmuch as certain saxophone keys overlap for simultaneous operationfrom one group to the other I provide a separable joint in overlappingextension key stems 2| as shown in Fig. 4. A socket 22 in the end of theextension stem 2| of one group of keys receives a reduced plug end 23 ofthe extension key stem 22 of other groups of keys. The second extensionkey stem 22 is preferably longitudinally adjustable and thus can bedrawn out of the joint.

Each key is urged by adjustable resilient pressure to a predeterminedreleased position. This is accomplished by a coil spring 24 which bearsagainst the key to urge it to released position, which spring 24 isbacked by an adjustable spring set screw 26, whereby the tension of thespring can be adjusted to the touch of the player. The clearance of thekey from the tone hole is determined by a stop abutment 21 against whichthe key abuts in the released open position. This stop abutment is alsoa set screw adjustable for any selected spacing.

In the forms shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 7 to 11, each key hub H] has asocket 28 therein ofiset to one side of the key pivot, in which socket28 is held an end of the coil spring 24. The bracket base l4 has athreaded hole 29 therethrough, and the spring set screw 26 is adjustedin this hole to back the other end of the coil spring 24. Anotherthreaded hole 3| through the bracket base [4 spaced on the other side ofthe key pivot holds the set screw abutment 21 in engagement with the keyhub when released and urged by the spring 24. This is repeated similarlyfor each key in the group.

For a single key the spring and abutment arrangement is as shown inconnection with the octave key manipulator, wherein a yoke 32 is fixedon the key bar 33. A post 34 extends from the saxophone between the armsof the yoke 32. One of the yoke arms has therein the spring backing setscrew 26 to back the coil spring 24 against one side of said post 34.The other yoke arm has therein the set screw abutment 21 abuttingagainst the other side of said post 34 when the coil spring 24 turns thekey bar 33.

The octave key manipulation is thus also regulated with adjustableresiliency and spacing. The octave key bar 33 is journalled in bearingbrackets 36, which are of the split bearing type to allow easy detachingof the unit. One end of the bar 33 has a tubular stem 31 around it,which latter extends through the adjacent bracket 36. A side arm 38 onthis tubular stem 31 holds a small key disk 39 over an octave tone hole4!, which disk 39 is normally held depressed by a key arm 42 of a remotekey finger mechanism 43. On the end of the tubular stem 31 is a crank44. The end of the key bar 33 has a bearing yoke 46 fixed thereon, inwhich latter is a bearing pin 41. A cam 48 is pivoted on the bearing pinand is also transversely slidable on a pin 49 on the crank 44. The cam48 extends into a ring around the neck 52 of the saxophone, which ring5| is secured on the end of a curved lever 53. This lever 53 extendsalong the top of the saxophone to an upper octave tone hole 54 andcarries a key disk 58 for said upper tone hole 54. The lever 53 isfurcrumed on a pivot 51 between its ends, and is urged to key closingposition by a leaf spring 58 thereunder. A finger extension 59 on thekey bar 33 is depressed for turning the bar 33. The key arm 42 holds thekey disk 39 onto the lower octave tone hole 4l, hence the bearing yoke43 turns the cam 48 and pulls it outwardly away from the saxophone thuspulling the ring 5| and moving the lever 53 to lift the upper tone holecover disk 56. While the finger extension 59 is held depressed, and theremote key finger mechanism 43 is actuated to lift the key arm 42, thelower tone hole key disk 39 is released and the pressure of the leafspring 58 will through the ring 51 pull the cam 48 against the crank 44and turn the tubular stem 31 for lifting the side arm 38 and the loweroctave hole disk 39, at the same time closing the upper octave hole disk56. When the remote key finger mechanism 43 is released it will causethe pressing down of the lower octave hole disk 39 to closed positionand thus shift the cam 48 back to its ring pulling position to againopen the upper octave tone hole 54 as heretofore described.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the bracket BI issubstantially the same as the bracket heretofore described, but a pairof pivot bars 62 are journalled therein and the key hubs and stems 63are suitably mounted on said pivot bars 52. On a saxophone this mountingis used particularly on keys with long stems at comparatively longdistance from their tone holes. In other respects the operation issubstantially the same as the first form hereinabove described.

I claim:

1. A mounting device for a group of finger keys on a wind instrument,comprising spaced pins extended outwardly from the instrument, a brackethaving a base and opposite ears extended from the base and having holestherein in registry with said pins and slidably fitting onto said pins,set screws at right angles to said holes to hold said bracket on saidpins, and a group of finger keys pivotally supported between said earsand above said base in operative relation to the respective tone holesof the instrument.

2. A mounting device for a group of finger keys on a wind instrument,comprising spaced pins extended outwardly from the instrument, a brackethaving a base and opposite ears extended from the base and having holestherein in registry with said pins and slidably fitting onto said pins,set screws at right angles to said holes to hold said bracket on saidpins, and a group of finger keys pivotally supported between said earsand above said base in operative relation to the respective tone holesof the instrument, said base having a plurality of sockets in its top inregistry with the finger keys, a coil spring in each socket bearingagainst th opposite key to urge the key int a predetermined releasedposition, and an adjusting element in the bottom of each socket foradjusting the tension of said spring.

3. A mounting device for a group of finger keys on a wind instrument,comprising support element extended from the side of the instrument, abracket insertable over said elements, a base on said bracket, oppositeears extending from said base, releasable clamping means to fix saidbracket onto said elements, a pivot bar extending above the base andbeing mounted in said ears, and a group of finger keys pivoted on saidbar and extended into operative position with respect to the respectivetone holes of the instrument.

4. A mounting device for a group of finger keys on a wind instrument,comprising support element extended from the side of the instrument, abracket insertable over said elements, a base on said bracket, oppositeears extending from said base, releasable clamping means to fix saidbracket onto said elements, a pivot bar extending above the base andbeing mounted in said ears, and a group of finger keys pivoted on saidbar and extended into operative position with respect to the respectivetone holes of the instrument, and adjustable coil springs on said basebearing against the respective finger keys to urge said keys to therespective released position.

5. A mounting device for a group of finger keys on a wind instrument,comprising support elements extended from the side of the instrument, abracket insertable over said elements, a base on said bracket, oppositeears extending from said base, releasable clamping means to fix saidbracket onto said elements, a pivot bar extending above th base andbeing mounted in said ears, and a group of finger key pivoted on saidbar and extended into operative position with respect to the respectivetone holes of the instrument, and adjustable coil springs on said basebearing against the respective finger keys to urge said keys t therespective released position, and adjustable stop abutments on said baseopposite the respective keys to stop said keys in a predeterminedposition when said keys are urged by said springs to the releasedposition.

6. In a wind instrument having tone holes thereon, a plurality of fingerkeys for the respective tone holes, said fingers being arranged in aplurality of groups, a separate detachable mounting device of each groupof finger keys, said mounting device including a bracket, detachablemeans to secure said bracket on the instrument,

and means on the bracket for pivotally supporting the keys on thebracket in operative relation to said tone holes, and overlappingseparable connections between certain of the keys of adjacent groups.

7. In a wind instrument having tone holes thereon, a plurality of fingerkeys for th respective tone holes, said fingers being arranged in aplurality of groups, a separate detachable mounting device of each groupof finger keys, said mounting device including a bracket, detachablemeans to secure said bracket on the instrument, and means on the bracketfor pivotally supporting the keys on the bracket in operative relationto said tone holes, adjustable resilient device on each bracket to urgethe keys to released position, and adjustable stops on the brackets toabut said keys in predetermined released relation to the tone holes.

EARL O. SYLVESTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 76,389 Berteling Apr. 7, 18681,345,486 Gulick July 6, 1920 1,546,153 Upton July 14, 1925 1,572,418Bender 1- Feb. 9, 1926 1,585,295 Loomis May 18, 1926 1,586,794 Gage June1, 1926 1,662,196 Loomis Mar. 13, 1928 1,750,051 Rives Mar. 11, 19302,471,290 Sommaruga May 24, 1949

